Many people who shop at Aldi regularly know that smug feeling when you find out the final bill and it's lower than you expected. But then it's likely to be different for everyone, depending on what sort of shop you're doing.
So while on paper you might think the likes of Aldi are the cheapest place to go, have you ever put it to the test against the likes of Asda? Luckily Emily Sleight from the LiverpoolECHO has done exactly that so you don't have to.
Before heading in, she said she had never done a 'big shop' at Aldi, only popping in for bits and bobs. But, as a loyal Asda shopper, she was curious to see whether she could save money amid the cost of living crisis by switching for her main weekly haul rather than just keeping an eye on the legendary Specialbuys.
Here's how it went, in Emily's words...
I remember a time when my weekly shop for two people would cost around £50 at Asda, but now, it ranges from £60-£65 for the same types of products. I decided to visit my local Aldi for a weekly shop to see if it's really worth swapping completely.
The big shop
Is it me, or does Aldi always seem super busy? I guess you could say that's a good thing as it proves just how popular the store is, but it's a little irritating when you just want to get your shopping done and leave.
It could be because I decided to go to Aldi after 5pm, a time where everyone is dashing to get their bits after work (me included) but it didn't ruin my experience completely. Upon entry, I found myself being drawn to the fresh flowers section with a bunch of lillies on sale for less than £3, but I didn't let the temptation get to me (though it was a bargain).
As I passed the meat section I was amazed at the sheer choice on offer. The meat section at my local Aldi was absolutely huge, but unfortunately prices were still pretty steep.
A box of fresh chicken breast (approximately four big ones) would set me back almost £6, which I found absolutely mind-blowing. I was always under the impression that Aldi meat would be cheaper, but perhaps I was wrong.
It wasn't until I checked the Asda website that I realised the same box of chicken from Asda was ever so slightly cheaper, only by 3p, mind. So far, I wasn't overly impressed, but in reality, what can you expect with the cost of living crisis bumping up the price of pretty much everything?
Daily lunch items such as ready to eat chicken was priced at £1.99, which was pretty impressive considering a pack from Asda usually sets me back around £2.80. The only plus side with Asda is the fact that they do an 'any 2 for £4' deal with cooked chicken, so it depends how much ready to eat chicken you actually want.
Salad packs actually ended up being more expensive in Aldi at a steep 99p for a pack of Italian salad compared to Asda's at 60p. A pack of spinach cost 75p which was cheaper than Asda's at a whopping £1 - so it's mixed results all round on the salad front.
Staple items such as a four pint of semi skimmed milk would cost the same at Asda for £1.35, but a small pack of seeded bread cost me just 60p as opposed to Asda's £1. In terms of eggs, 12 free range eggs from Aldi set me back £2.09 as opposed to Asda's £2.20.
Staple bathroom items such as toothpaste cost a mere 55p, with the cheapest one I could find online at Asda costing 98p. The cost of feminine hygiene products particularly impressed me, costing 69p as opposed to £2.50 in Asda. As a whole, I'd say homeware and cleaning items as a whole, such as Fairy Liquid and toothpaste, were a lot cheaper at Aldi than in Asda.
The dupes
I need to talk about the dupes from Aldi, because wow, they were impressive. I was amazed to find eight different dupes of products I usually buy on a weekly basis, but for much cheaper than usual. They included:
- Snackrite 'Lights' - 99p for 6 - a dupe for the Walkers Oven Baked crisps priced at £1.65 for 6
- Meatster Salami Snack -£1.69 for 10 - a dupe for Peperami Original Minis priced at £2.25 for 10
- Mini Cheese Bakes - 77p for 7 - a dupe for Mini Cheddars priced at £1.70 for 6
- Fibre Now Birthday Cake £1.15 for 5 - a dupe for Fibre One 90 Calorie Birthday Squares priced at £2.50 for 5
- Alcafe Time Intenso Barista Coffee - £2.29 - a dupe for £3.50 Nescafe Azera Coffee priced at £3.50
- Earls Marrolls Meaty Rolls - 85p - a dupe for Markies Dog Biscuits priced at £1.39
- Earls Dental Sticks Daily Oral Care - 59p - a dupe for Pedigree Dentastix priced at £1.29
- Aldi Cheese Puffs crisps -£1.19 for 10 - a dupe for Walkers Wotsits crisps priced at £1.65 for 6
The pros
I found that there were a fair few positives for my weekly shop at Aldi. The main one being the sheer difference in price for the dupe products.
The fact I can get pretty much the exact same product for considerably cheaper means I'll definitely be shopping more at Aldi. Items like dog treats, coffee and snacks for lunch gave me plenty of savings so I was really chuffed with that.
It's usually items like dog food and branded snacks that rack up my Asda bill, so the fact I could get similar products (all tried and tasted by me) that are identical was a real bonus. My dog most certainly can't tell the difference between a 59p dental stick and a £1.29 one, so Aldi is a good option for dog owners, that's for sure.
The cons
Staple items, mainly meat, are still pretty expensive in Aldi. Understandably so, not everything can be at a bargain price, but it's useful information to know.
I also found that fresh items such as fruit and vegetables weren't amazing quality, but again, that could just be my local Aldi, not Aldi as a whole. I wasn't a big fan of their baby potatoes and lemons, which both appeared quite bruised and manky.
The verdict
This all begs the question... will I do my weekly shop at Aldi every week? Probably not. But will I make a habit of visiting Aldi more for specific items? Yes.
My bill ended up being £69 in total, which is actually more than I spend at Asda. However, it's important to note that I did pick up an extra few 'homey' bits such as candles and cleaning sprays - and I think that's where Aldi gets you. Its Specialbuy section is way too hard to resist, and that's definitely where the store makes its money.
I was so impressed with the dupes, and will definitely be making a habit of going to Aldi for specific lunch items such as crisps, lunchtime snacks, coffee and dog food.
